One of the benefits of being a Union steward is reading the newsletters sent to our office by other APWU locals. Through the years, I've learned a lot reading these. First and foremost, I've learned that, whatever you may think, "it ain't just here." From time to time, we've posted some of these articles on our bulletin board at the P&DC. But it has just occurred to me (yes, I'm that slow) that we can share more of these articles with more people through this website. I apologize to the authors, in advance, for editing (for reasons of length). Where available, links to the respective APWU local will be given. Any Local wishing their material removed from this website should contact me by clicking here. Take no offense if you don't see your publication, or your article, here (it's a lot of typing and I'm a one-finger hit and miss kinda guy). Listings are vaguely chronological. The Red Bank Local is a member of the Postal Press Association. M.J.
The Bostonian (March 2004)
Our America Is In Trouble By Moe Lepore
Springfield Rifle (Sept. 2003)
The Commission's Report By Nick Zeo, Stu Kibbe and Joe Casagranda
The 480-481 COMMUNICATOR (Sept. 2003)
Our Wages Might Be Slashed! By Joseph S. Nudi
Its Time to Fight Back By Paul Felton
Did You Know? (FMLA information)
The Charleston Crafts (Aug/Sept 2003)
"Take Care of the 1-800-sick leave Dude" By Katrina King
The 'W' Stands for Workers By Sterling Nusbaum
The Greater Connecticut Area Local Outlook (July/Aug 2003)
ITS YOUR FIGHT TOO! By John H. Dirzius
Exercise Your Right--VOTE! By Noel Aube
OKLAHOMA POSTAL WORKER (July/Aug 2003)
Get Out the Raincoat and Boots....Its Getting Deep! By Stefny Hutchinson
The Power of One Vote By Mark & Marsha Coyle
"DISTANT" VOICES--All Time Classics
A Doctors View Of The Post Office By Dr. Felix Feelgood* (April 2001)
The Monmouth P&DC Mini-Mart By Martin Johns (June 2001)
OTHER APWU NEWSLETTERS ON-LINE
An Iron Curtain of Secrecy;
Lifting the Veil
By Dan Kuralt
Springfield, MA APWU Area Local
(January 2005)
Around 1978 or 1979 then APWU national vice president Dave
Johnson gave a report on a management presentation he and the rest of our
national officers had received on the USPS plans with regard to mechanization
and automation. It was from the point of just prior to the installation of FSMs
on forward to their ultimate goal of eliminating as many craft jobs as possible.
Brother Johnson gave a very detailed report of what he and other national
officers had been told and spoke of it as a fact that would happen at some point
in time. I cannot remember the exact numbers he mentioned as it was a long time
ago but the number of 100,000 clerk positions being eliminated sticks in my
mind.
This news and Johnson’s acceptance of it insofar as it being a future reality
stunned the membership. After they got over their shock they got angry. Not at
management, but at Dave Johnson. The “kill the messenger” syndrome took hold.
Johnson ran for APWU President in 1980 and lost to Moe Biller.
Nearly thirty years have passed and management has marched inexorably forward
with their plans. In addition to automation management has implemented a policy
of rate discounts for presorted mail and negotiated other so-called work sharing
agreements.
Proposals have been put forth in Congress to overhaul the USPS and a so-called
list of installation closings and consolidations has been developed. This list
was mentioned by the head of the President’s Commission on the Postal Service as
being “not insignificant.’
As someone who has worked in the Springfield, Massachusetts Post Office since
1968 I have seen a lot of change. When I first started, all mail was worked
manually.
Throughout that time and change management was always willing to sit down with
the Union and explain their plans and give the Unions input in them. They were
very often anxious for the Union to become involved in the local implementation
of this change as a perceived way of lessening the trauma on the employees. Very
often the Springfield local, of which I was a representative, was able to point
out problems with their plans of implementation and avoid unnecessary adverse
impact on our members.
The 1978 award by arbitrator Healy, which gave us “lifetime” job protection
after seven years, was rolled into the national agreement under article 6, and
many recent memoranda of understanding expanded that to all employees for the
term of a particular contract.
One big difference between the past and present, which I believe explains the
secrecy that has been imposed on current and future plans is the fact that in
the past, job reduction has been accomplished through attrition.
They do not propose to accomplish the remainder of their job cuts in that manner
and are trying to keep their plans for just how bad it will be a secret for as
long as possible.
In order to accomplish their ultimate goal of serious job elimination I believe
that they have reached the point where they will enter contract negotiations and
refuse to agree to any more no-layoff language, including article 6 (the Healy
award).
Many believe that the Healy award is ‘lifetime” in nature. That is not true.
Each contract has a beginning and an end. When it comes up for re-negotiation,
everything is on the table, including article 6.
Management has not had a need to do a RIF of bargaining unit employees to this
point and thus has not had any problem in agreeing to language guaranteeing no
layoff. That has resulted in a false sense of security for many of our members.
An opiate, so to speak. That is evident, to me at least, by the fact that the
main concern thus far seems to be whether national will agree to another
two-year extension of the present contract.
That is about to change.
How badly we are impacted will depend on where we work and the action management
takes on particular facilities.
Rumor has it that the Postal Service plans major change to the BMC system.
Stories are being floated that the parcel sorters and singulators will be
stripped from the BMCs and APP sorters installed to process the mail. If true,
this will have a major impact on BMC locals and the clerk and maintenance
crafts. Other locals will no doubt face equally serious job losses.
How we deal with this change will be determined once we see exactly what is
planned. It would appear that management is intent on not giving us an
inordinate amount of time to do so. The sooner we start thinking worst case
scenarios, the better. We have some options that I can think of but they will
involve hard work by all of us and will be resisted mightily by USPS
headquarters.
Many companies offer their employees a so-called “buy-out” when seeking to
reduce their complement and save money. Incentives are offered to induce people
to leave. USPS doesn’t like that idea. Surprise! Surprise!
Their idea of reducing the complement involves employees taking a hit on their
retirement.
These are the same people who reduced the complements on LSMs to the point where
carpal tunnel syndrome became a major problem. They then controverted employee
on-the-job injury claims arguing that it wasn’t work related. Because the
medical profession wasn’t up to speed on the issue our grievances arguing that
the reduction in LSM crew size constituted a safety hazard were denied and USPS
took great advantage of that. When the medical profession finally decided that
yes, it was work related, management said “Imagine that! We didn’t know!”
Having shown such low regard for their employees thus far we can expect no
better with the current situation. Our new Chairman of Board of Governors James
C. Miller III said “we can get people to do this work for less” and the feeling
seems to be “why give them money to go when a good hop in the ass will do the
trick just as well.”
(March 2004)
Our America Is In Trouble By Moe Lepore, General President, BOSTON METRO AREA LOCAL 100
(Photo is of Moe Lepore from the Save Our Service Rally, October 2003, Boston)
Circa 2004 - so you’re a family man or
woman and your vocation is that of a postal worker. If you are
lucky, you own your home or at least the bank does. You endure all life offers
up raising a family in the new millennium. Who would have ever thought that
maintaining quality of life above the poverty line would be a task in America
today! As if this isn’t enough to deal with, you now face the stark reality that
all you have worked for most of your adult life can be taken away, or at the
least, greatly reduced.
My brothers and sisters, in our America we are not supposed to lose what we have
worked for lo these many years; maybe in some other country, but not in our
America.
This unpalatable reality can befall us all if we don’t rally our membership
throughout America. One need not be a Harvard grad to realize the roof over our
heads, food on our tables, raising a family, paying bills, and the level of a
living standard is derived from our paycheck. Must we live below the standard
your hard work has afforded you and your family? That dangerous proposition
looms in front of us, and the powers that be are desperately trying to make this
our reality.
The United States Postal Service and their corporate partners have chartered a
course designed to take away many family oriented benefits and reduce our pay.
If the United States Postal Service is successful, the results will be
catastrophic for every postal worker and their family. No one got out of bed for
you to go to work these past decades. It was you, and you do so to raise your
family and build upon your annuity. This annuity is targeted for reduction.
Health benefits and retirement must not be allowed to be negotiated with our
national contract. This proposal is geared to reducing current benefits we enjoy
in two vital areas of our employ.
If American Postal Workers Union were to lose this issue, rest assured, we would
never re-coup what we have toiled for throughout our careers. Where is the
incentive? Must we act as sheep while we are stripped of all our gains? Is this
what we have been reduced to?
Is the big bad United States Postal Service so intimidating that I’m afraid to
see my steward for fear of some b.s. so called retaliation? Have we become so
meek that some are beginning to believe the anti-union mutterings of tortured
minds that proclaim we are lucky to be working at all? Has the almighty employer
sapped us of our strength and will to fight the good fight? No, No, a thousand
times No! Management does not own the workroom floor. It belongs to the working
man and woman.
Remember the ’70s, ’80s, and early ’90s. A.P.W.U. owned the workroom floor -
solely due to the activism of our members in the section, tour and facility. If
in some areas of the post office, management runs amok and we don’t have the
workroom floor, we take it back by sticking together with our union every day.
We have the power, but we just aren’t using that power. Exercise our rights
every day. File that grievance. Give us statements when the pretender supervisor
does our work. This is a must - - no room to negotiate. Withhold your labor -
under law - by seeing your steward. OK, I still hear the cry, "but, Moe, if I
continue to see the union, I will be labeled a trouble maker by my boss". So
what! He can’t fire you, or send you to Iraq.
Oh, I know, they then begin to mess with our overtime and this weapon is used
quite well by some turkey supervisors to keep you in line. If we succumb to this
tactic, then we lose. We must not prostitute our contract and labor agenda for
overtime. The union will fight that fight of overtime.
The union’s task is to fight through these types of issues to preserve our
mission. Many in management perceive our members to be spineless robots just
happy to draw a check. A.P.W.U. is sounding the call to arms. We will stand in
the front lines of the battle and engage management to the end to preserve our
way of life in our America!
Has anyone noticed that the United States Postal Service is talking a lot
tougher these days from the lost soul supervisor on the floor to the top floor
in L’Enfant Plaza? They mistakenly believe they have the union on the ropes
because of the unholy Presidential Commission. They believe apathy will win the
day for them. Yes, the United States Postal Service is challenging American
Postal Workers Union to a war of attrition believing our members don’t have the
stomach for such a reality check. This past year has shown one thing very clear.
These pretenders’ assessment of us is misguided. They have underestimated our
spirit and willingness to battle to maintain our benefits at all costs.
Our America is under siege. Everywhere we look labor is being attacked and, to
our chagrin, so are our Veterans, elderly and disenfranchised. Would anyone
allow the fruits of their labor to be taken from them without a fight? If this
was our reality, what would be the sense of getting out of bed each day?
There should be outrage from one and all. The fact that we are facing these dire
possibilities must make us rage against the machine. SOLIDARITY NOW! The only
time a union brother or sister looks down at someone is to help them up.
The landscape is in front of us all. The United States Postal Service is calling
us out for a fight. American Postal Workers Union will accommodate. It’s not too
late to wake up and use all our power to reverse the trend of complacency.
Remember when non-violent militancy was the norm in the plants, and management
knew the price they would pay for their transgressions? We are not far removed
from the glorious days of American Postal Workers Union. We are not technocrats.
We are union soldiers and, for our survival, that mentality must return
immediately. Our members are desperately looking to us for guidance and
protection as we navigate through the minefield that is the workroom floor in
’04.
The opportunity to resurrect our agenda is within our grasp. We just have to
show our guts and grab the chance before it slips away, and that must never,
never happen!
In closing, American Postal Workers Union surely must demonstrate to you that
your concerns are being addressed, and if anyone wearing the label of steward or
officer is not doing the job, they have to go, plain and simple. No time for the
good ole boy network in this union.
If my son was a steward and was not doing the job, then he goes. It’s business -
not personal - as the goodfellas always say. You have to know we mean these
things I’ve spoken of. We truly believe we can win and continue to be a strong
partner in labor issues in our America today! You have a tremendous investment
in the union and in your careers. Why would we let all of it be flushed away
without the FIGHT OF OUR LIVES? After all, THIS IS OUR AMERICA, ISN’T IT? DAMN
RIGHT!
GOD BLESS YOU AND THE U.S.A.!
FIGHT THE TYRANNY!
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS!
SUPPORT YOUR UNION!
THIS IS AMERICA!
(September 2003)
The Commission's Report By Nick Zeo, Stu Kibbe and Joe Casagranda, COPA Committee Members, Springfield (MA) Area Local
After 6 months of testimony, countless charts and graphs, expert opinions from every profit-motivated bean counter and cross-eyed analyst, the long
awaited report is out. The 200-page gem was presented to President Bush by independent minded appointees Harry Pearce and James Johnson, and can be found online at http://www.treas.gov website. Take some time and check it out, especially the part that details the postal service workforce for the 21st Century, Chapter 6. There before your eyes will be the blueprints for "sweeping changes in the way that the Postal Service meets its mission and pursues additional breakthrough improvements in productivity". (Pg. 107 of the report). Read on, because you play an important part in this masterpiece.
It all begins with transforming the current Postal Rate Commission and Board of Governors into a 3 member Postal Regulatory Board that are appointed by none other than...President Bush. The Senate would then confirm the new Regulatory Board members. The Regulatory Board will have unhampered authority to set rates, change the scope of the Postal monopoly, review and determine worksharing (i.e. Maximize the use of private sector workforce), and assure that we are not receiving a wage premium, because if we are, it "must be elminated" (Pg. 139 w-4). Answering directly to the Regulatory Board will be the new Board of Directors. Their mission is to apply the best practices of the business world. Chapter 3 covers this private industry concept.
Congress can only do the implementation of the Postal Regulatory Board and Board of Directors. They would rewrite law, specifically, the Postal Act of 1970. This is the law that eliminated the old U.S. Post Office and created the present day United States Postal Service. Throughout the President's Commission Report are many references to provisions of the current law that the Commissioners suggest amending. These include changing the Collective Bargaining Agreement process (contract negotiations, Pg. 116), redefine the definition of "comparable pay" to include ALL FRINGE BENEFITS, (i.e. leave, health insurance, retirement, etc., Pg. 119). In essence this means if we want to continue our current benefits package be prepared for substantial Pay DECREASE. Really.
Also on the agenda is changing the private workforce sector (reference group) that is used in comparing our wage compensation (Pg. 119). Other changes include an arbitration board that must consider the all-powerful "Postal Regulatory Board calculation of the total compensation premium" and apply a ceiling or cap to this figure (Pg. 122). This commission has been very crafty in drafting language for Congress that would effectively hamstring the APWU's ability to negotiate our wages and fringe benefits.
Proposals have also been introduced to alter our Workmen's Compensation Program. Changes include, no pay for the first three days after an injury, 2/3 of your pay thereafter, and forced retirement upon eligibility (Pg. 134). Instead of striving to make postal facilities and operational techniques safer, the commission is suggesting the law be changed to penalize the injured employee.
Other wonderful recommendations include a pay-for-performance program. Nothing is mentioned about who or how your performance is rated. Is the performance judged on an entire facility or office output? And, most importantly, does this eliminate our present pay scale? Apparently somebody must have told the Commission how wildly successful the Service's own Quality Step Increase has been as an incentive.
Testimony was given before the Commission stating that postal employees are 9 billion dollars overpaid and suggested should set our pay rates. Exempt from this idea is the Services' "top employees" (Pg. 133). They would get a Title 5 salary-cap exemption, which could conceivably quadruple their compensation. This would solve the problem of US being 9 billion dollars overpaid but would not rid the Postal Service of a 9 billion-dollar expense.
Current and soon to be retirees haven't been forgotten either. The Commission believes this group should not have access to continuing health care benefits after retirement (Pg. 123). No group is exempt from this commission's report or an act of Congress. Prior to 1983 the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) covered employees. In 1984 Congress enacted the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). What's stopping Congress from enacting NERS--No Employee Retirement System?
This is a quick glimpse of the Titanic the current Administration in Washington is building, hope you have a lifeboat.
(September 2003)
Our Wages Might Be Slashed! By Joseph S. Nudi, President 480-481 Area Local (MI)
As you can see from the page one headline, the President's Commission on the Postal Service has issued their final report and, yes, we are in big trouble.
I equate the apathy of all postal workers, not just in this Local but nationwide, with the fable of Rip Van Winkle. A lot of employees have been nodding away all these years with the attitude that we are untouchable. Some have even become spoiled with what we have achieved through the Collective Bargaining process. Well, even Mr. Van Winkle woke up and the time has come for us all to stop hitting the snooze button on our alarms, and WAKE UP! This is for real.
Recently, I attended an informational picket for the workers of Cintas uniforms represented by UNITE. One of the speakers was a bargaining committee member who had worked for the company for 19 years. The Union was asking for a living wage which would have guaranteed the workers at least $10.00 per hour (they make approximately $8.23 per hour). The company offered a measly ninety-five cents per hour over 3 years. The speaker went on to say that if the offer was accepted she would still be making less than $10.00 per hour three years from now in the year 2006.
Can you imagine what it would be like to be making less than $10.00 per hour in 2006? Well, if the Commission has its way, and Congress adopts legislation based on their recommendations, you may have the chance to not only imagine, but to experience the pain of living at this poverty level. Members, you need to wake up and get out of your Alice in Wonderland mind set. This is very real and no matter what degree of success the Union has in winning this battle, I believe we will see some changes. I only hope that what does come out of this report is not complete devastation.
There have been rumors floating around the offices, particularly the Plant, that being a Local Officer is a cushy job. Contrary to what is perceived, this is not an 8 to 4 job. Yes, the office officially closes at 4:00 p.m., but we are in the office far after the official closing time representing the members' interests. What about weekends, yes we work on weekends or off days for no extra compensation. Would you work for the Postal Service for no extra compensation (overtime)? I don't think so, but your officers do, and it is called dedication.
Let's stop all the whining and unite behind one banner called Solidarity. The elections of this Local are history, we have a much bigger battle ahead of us now with this Commission Report.
It's Time to Fight Back By Paul Felton, Editor 480-481 Communicator
(photo of Paul Felton is from the 2003 Postal Press Association Conference)
When I started working at the Post Office, I knew pretty much
what I was getting into. The hours were kind of screwy, but the pay was
pretty good and the job was secure. I'll bet that's how you looked at it
too. Well, today our pay, our jobs, our livelihood are
threatened by powerful anti-labor forces.
Did I say powerful? You
can't get any more powerful than the President of the United States. And
unfortunately, he is the most anti-labor President in our country's history.
We are definitely under attack like never before. It is time to fight
back.
Think about this: the Commission wants to change the way our wages are determined. They want three people, appointed by President Bush, to determine a ceiling for our wages, and enforce a timetable to get us down to that level. This would overrule whatever contract we can convince an impartial arbitrator to award us. If this recommendation becomes law, it would destroy the most important function APWU performs for us--protecting our standard of living. It could take away everything we thought we had when we first hired in here.
You see, the business interests in this country have not been able to bust the APWU or even force concessions on us like they have done to so many other unions. So they have asked the government to step in and do it for them. Specifically, large advertising mailers (like LL Bean and ADVO) who are fearful that Standard Mail rates could be raised want the Commission to balance USPS budget on our backs, and at the expense of service, as an alternative to cutting into their lucrative profits.
We should not assume we have no chance to win this fight. For one thing, we don't know how high a priority this is for President Bush; obviously, he has a lot of other things on his agenda. For another thing, we have a lot of potential allies: veterans' groups, Civil Rights groups, labor, and the general public whose service would be adversely affected by some of the recommendations. We are hopeful that the timetable on the legislative process will carry over to 2004, and that some Congressional representatives will be wary of attacking the Post Office in an election year. But it is up to us to make it happen.
This is a test of our Union. It is not just a test of our leadership--it is a test of our leaders AND our members. It is a test of our unity, a test of our willingness to fight. If we do nothing, we could face disaster. If we unite and beat back this attack, we could emerge a much stronger union, in a better position to withstand attack and even make gains in the future.
If we all fight this battle together, we can be successful in protecting each other's jobs and livelihood. It's up to you. and it's up to me. It's time to get moving.
Did You Know? (Not attributed)
One type of Serious Health Condition covered by FMLA is called "Absence Plus Treatment," which involves a period of incapacity of "more than 3 calendar days" that also involves treatment 2 or more times by a doctor, or treatment by a doctor on one occasion with follow-up care involving prescription medication or therapy. This fact has been in this column before, but there is one point that apparently needs additional emphasis. If you are only absent 3 working days, but those days are adjacent to your off days, and you were incapacitated on your off days, you need to have your doctor state that you were incapacitated for the off days as well. More than one employee has missed out on FMLA protection they might have been entitled to, by telling the doctor to "just cover Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday," without bothering to cover the off days that followed. This particular category of serious health condition involves "more than 3 calendar days" so if you want to be protected, make sure that "more than 3 calendar days" are documented.
(August/September 2003)
Charleston does not appear to have a website. However, Katrina King is the web master for the West Virginia Postal Workers Union website, and it's worth going there if only to play with the "COPA cursor". Photo, which I believe is Katrina (though it doesn't nearly do her justice), is from Beckley Local 1509 website.
"Take Care of the 1-800-sick leave Dude" By Katrina King, Chief Steward Stations & Branches (WV)
It seems as though the majority of grievances generated in the stations lately result from attendance control issues and FMLA documentation. Management is resolving very few of those grievances at the lower level. The attendance control people, despite the contractual language that insists supervisors have authority to settle these grievances, have usurped that authority. The KYOWVA Area Local, based in Huntington WV, has a website on which they have a prepared script for you to use whenever you need to call in. Please visit this site and, if nothing else, read it to see what your options are. I found it very informative (and entertaining). It's labeled "Take care of the 1-800 sick leave dude". Once there, just click on the link. The address is http://hometown.aol.com/kyowvaapwu/1.html.
Letters of Demand
There have been very few grievances in the stations for letters
of demand. The incorporation of POS seems to have all but eliminated those
grievances. Just a reminder for those still on the IRT systems, please
make sure that you count everything twice, even if the first count shows an
overage. It's important 
to determine that the first count was accurate.
If the first count was not accurate but you signed off on an overage anyway, you
may end up with a shortage during the next audit.
Whatever issues you're facing, though, please also remember that you only have fourteen days to file a grievance. Don't wait until day 12 to ask for your steward. That only leaves two days for the steward to investigate, prepare, and meet with your supervisor.
Function 4s are coming up in some of the stations pretty soon. Don't call in sick to avoid it. The last thing we need is for management to show that they got the work done without you. And remember to follow ALL of the rules and procedures. We want them to know every little detail that's involved in performing our duties.
Postal Labor Union Summer School
I was glad to see several stewards and officers from Charleston attend the annual Postal Labor Unions Summer School. As an instructor of one of the classes, I always seek out people from our state and pay special attention to those from our local. It's sad to see that even though the school is hosted by the Institute for Labor Studies and Research at our very own West Virginia University, the majority of students arrive from farther reaches of the country; there were more attendees from Alaska this year than there were from West Virginia. Next year, let's see what we can do to provide more of our stewards and officers with this excellent opportunity for further education. Our representation, your representation, could very well depend on it.
The 'W' Stands for Workers By Sterling Nusbaum, Maintenance Steward
(Picture of the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston is from Charleston, West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau website and bears absolutely no resemblance to Mr. Nusbaum, himself. I can say that because I know Sterling has an exceptional sense of humor)
Welcome to the Devil's Advocate. This is a series of
articles for me to say some of the things I think need to be said. These
opinions are mine and mine alone, and are in no way a reflection of the
Charleston Area Local. That said, these opinions represent some lines of
thought that haven't been explored or articulated lately. You can all shake your heads and
disagree all you like. You can call me a bad unionist or a management
suck-up. But late at night in your beds, while you're laying there and
sleep won't come, some of my thoughts are going to come back to you. You
don't have to like them. You don't have
to accept them. But you're
going to hear them. And if you're smart, you'll think about them.
The 'W' in APWU stands for workers. I think some of us
have forgotten that. Some haven't, but they're getting tired. One of
the tenants the whole labor movement was founded on is “A fair day’s wage for a
fair day’s work.” That’s an old saw that cuts both ways. And if you’re not
giving a fair day’s work, do you really deserve a fair day’s wage? But you still
get it, don’t you? That fair day’s pay keeps rolling in day after day. Sure,
everybody has an off day, but what about those that have more off days than on? Does an employer have an obligation to carry a slug? Not many reasonable people
would say so.
One of the things a union (any union) tries to do is to protect work. The APWU
defended the Remote Encoding Centers from subcontracting. Its trying to organize
private sector mail transportation. In the clerk craft, we’re often arguing that
work the mail handlers are doing should be ours. In the maintenance craft, we
fight to let our members do work the USPS would rather hire outside firms to do.
But the key here is WORK. When the APWU goes to argue about why we should do the
things the USPS wants to contract out, it claims that APWU workers are more
productive than private sector workers. The APWU argues that our members deserve
the high rate of pay we get because we work for it. Those claims are rather
difficult to substantiate when management can point to hour-long breaks, sick
leave abuse, and ODL ducking. If the union wants to claim the moral high ground,
we, the members, need to act morally. When an employee disappears for an hour,
when an employee calls in sick in retaliation for management’s actions, when an
employee signs the ODL and refuses every overtime opportunity that quarter, that
employee undercuts the union’s efforts in national and local negotiations.
Your supervisor or your manager may not be pushing you to produce, but that’s
not a good thing. The USPS at the national level has undertaken a campaign as
part of the Transformation Plan to reduce work hours. Function 4 reviews and BPI
teams have been surveying postal facilities with an eye to where to cut work
hours. Not whether to cut, but where to cut. When they see a gaggle of our
members sitting around playing cards, they have a pretty good idea where to
start.
But there’s also another angle here. To have a work stoppage, you must first be
performing some work. While we have a No-Strike clause in our contract, the
momentum in labor-management relations is swinging toward management. The Bush
administration has threatened 850,000 government workers’ jobs with
subcontracting. The administration has fought hard to exclude the employees of
the Department of Homeland Security from having the employment security of
collective bargaining. And more personally, the administration has established
the President’s Commission on the United States Postal Service. I believe we’re
on a swing backwards losing ground the labor movement gained in FDR’s New Deal. The attack on the FLSA overtime provisions represents the worst (so far) inroad. We may find ourselves in a position where we must use the tactics of the old
days to regain justice. What if we had a strike and nobody noticed?
So what’s the bottom line here? The bottom line is you need to do your share to
help yourself, your fellow workers, and yes, your employer. Remember that
working for a living is a symbiotic relationship. They need us. But we need them
too. You don’t have to run yourself ragged, but be in your work area. You don’t
have to throw flats like a madman, but stay busy. Or at least LOOK busy.
The Greater Connecticut Area Local Outlook
(July/August 2003)
The Greater Connecticut Area Local does not appear to have a web site, however The Greater New Haven Labor History Association offers some interesting notes on the Local's history.
IT'S YOUR FIGHT TOO!
By John H. Dirzius, President Greater Connecticut Area Local
The recently issued report of the President's Commission on the future of the Postal Service paints a very clear picture that universal mail service and our rights to collectively bargain to improve our standard of living are under attack and are in grave jeopardy of being destroyed. The Commission's 200-page report is a contradiction at best. The Commission states that it wants to improve service, but includes a recommendation to broaden management's powers to close "low activity" post offices and to consolidate processing plants. The process they recommend would limit congressional involvement and then limit public involvement until after the fact. The Commission states it wants to maintain the USPS mail monopoly, but then recommends that a Postal Regulatory Board be established with the full authority to "redefine and clarify" the postal monopoly.
This newly created, three member, presidential appointed board would have full authority to change the meaning of universal service, change the scope of the postal monopoly, and set service standards and policy for the USPS. The Commission states that it supports universal service, but at appropriate, uniform rates not at the current mandate of universal service at universal rates. The Commission recommends that no new discounts exceed costs avoided, but tacitly endorses existing discounts that exceed cost avoided. These discounts rob the Postal Service of billions of dollars a year and eliminate mail-processing jobs for members of our clerk craft. Discounts equate to contracting out of mail processing jobs. The Commission states that it favors collective bargaining, but recommends a number of regressive changes that would destroy true collective bargaining and seriously impact the standard of living of every postal worker.
What the Commission is really attacking is the success of postal workers over the years to improve their standard of living through good faith negotiations; negotiations that have produced unprecedented job security with our negotiated 'no lay off' contract provision, health and pension benefits that provide security for our families and our future, numerous work rules and working conditions that protect our members on a daily basis, and a fair and decent wage.
Those few members, and obviously all of our non-members, who seriously believe that these many hard fought gains of postal negotiations are merely handed out by a benevolent employer need to take a moment to read the recommendations of the Presidential Commission.
 | They need to read and see for themselves the recommendations that if postal wages are above comparability then the newly established Postal Regulatory Board will place a cap on our wages and would take measures to reduce our pay. |
| They need to read about the Commission's recommendation to institute "pay for performance" programs. |
| They need to read about the Commission's recommendation to remove postal workers from the federal pension program and the federal health benefits plans. |
| They need to read about the recommendations to change our collective bargaining process to incorporate a "last best offer mechanism" rather than arbitrating the merits of the individual issues. |
| They need to read about the recommendations to reduce workers' compensation benefits and pay. |
| They need to read about the recommendations to increase the contracting out of our jobs by promoting additional partnerships with other businesses; by continuing existing postage discounts for work that we can perform cheaper, and by contracting out all operations that do not fall within core postal functions. |
| And they need to read about the Commission's recommendations to outsource on a large-scale our mail processing jobs, our retail jobs, our transportation jobs, and our motor vehicle maintenance jobs. |
Your help is needed today to strengthen our ranks by getting our non-members to join and support the APWU in this most difficult struggle of our working lives. The struggle before us is not about overtime, not about denied annual leave, not about denied light duty, or not even about casual grievances, it is about our survival. It is about our very existence as postal workers, working for the Postal Service under a jointly negotiated collective bargaining agreement. It's not about disliking your steward or officer. It's not about a problem that occurred 10 years ago. It's not about some perceived problem that was never real to start with. It's about saving our industry. It's about saving our jobs. It's about protecting our standard of living and our way of life.
I call upon every member of our local to become directly involved with the difficult task of signing up these unconvinced non-members. The Commission Report does not discriminate, it clearly attacks every postal worker, member and non-member alike. It's time that these non-members join in the struggle to save their own jobs and to protect their standard of living. Just ask your co-workers if they are APWU members. If not sign them up today. After all, It's Your Fight Too!
Exercise Your Right--VOTE! By Noel Aube, Secretary/Treasurer Greater Connecticut Area Local
As union members, postal workers, and more importantly Americans, we are called upon to fulfill the obligations of our jobs, perform our union roles to the best of our ability and participate in this great democracy, the United States of America. We all seem to realize how important our jobs are, some understand the importance of the union; but are we doing as much as we can in participating in this great democracy?
We read each day in the newspaper or hear on TV programs that there are many
threats to the United States of America. We hear about terrorism in this
country and abroad. We hear about men and women in the armed services who
put their lives on the line every day in combat in Iraq, the Balkans and
Afghanistan, or keeping the peace on bases throughout Europe and Asia. The
media is full of stories about how the budget of this country is threatened by
economic turndowns, wars and rumors of wars, joblessness, and a decreased gross
domestic product. How overwhelming this seems to us as Americans.
What could each of us possibly do to have an impact on the world, our country,
our state, or even in our community?
There is a very simple answer that we often take for granted--Vote! It is important for each and every one of us to participate in a process that is our right as an American. We should each pay attention to what is going on in the world, our country, our state and in our community. That does not mean that we have to be glued to the television set or read the newspaper from cover to cover. What it does mean is that each of us should be aware of what is going on and what the issues are that are facing us. If there is a conflict abroad, it could have an impact on our own country--even if the United States is not directly involved.
Each and every one of us should pay attention to what is going on, but we should also make sure that each of us is registered to vote. Ask your friends and family members if they are registered--political affiliation does not matter. Registration in a political party enables the voter to cast a ballot in an election primary. In the general election, no matter what your party affiliation--Democrat, Republican, Unaffiliated, or other party--you may vote for the candidates of your choice.
Many of our members and many of our friends and family members are registered to vote but do not take that all important step on Election Day. Why? It is the easiest of all our freedoms and rights. It is our right as Americans to do so and it is our obligation to vote for candidates who represent what is good for our community, state, and country. As we pass through summer and political parties begin to select candidates, it is important that we pay attention to what is going on. Even though the month of November, when elections are held, seems so far away--it is not too soon to learn about the candidates and pay attention to issues that are important to you. Exercise your rights--Get out and vote!
Registration Info thru the AFL-CIO
(July/August 2003) Oklahoma Postal Workers Union
Get Out the Raincoat and Boots....It's Getting Deep! By Stefny Hutchinson, District #3 Vice President
(photo is of the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, from TULSA AREA LOCAL web site)
IT'S HAPPENING. I said that there would be major changes
occurring and they are. Three weeks ago, our postmaster said that we are
going to try a plan where another SCF 80 miles north would work our mail on
their machines, since they are bigger and have more separations on them.
Within a week, it happened. Now, the plan is to totally take all of our
SCF mail to that same office and work the mail there. I came flat out and
asked him when he thought this
would occur (to which he responded he didn't
think it would happen before he retired in 16 months.) a week later I get a
phone call from a supervisor of that SCF and he wants to know what our
separations are. He said that the "proposed" (proposed being a key word
here) plan was to take place in about a week.
Now of course this frustrates me (not only because I was stupid enough to believe the answer I got from my boss) but because it seems to me we aren't doing anything but moving people from this office to that one, and I get irritated at the fact that we are made out to be mushrooms. We are left in the dark and fed a line of crap. We are the workers who are supposed to be keeping this organization going and the people making those changes don't even have the courtesy to tell us what's going on. WE ARE OWED THAT. WE DESERVE THAT.
Now I know that those making the changes could care less about the workers or the service, they are after a bonus, plain and simple. It doesn't matter to them who they displace, or how much mail they delay. Most of the workers said they would deal with whatever happens, but it would just be nice to know SOMETHING.
Most of the supervisors themselves are in the dark and don't even know anything. It really makes it hard to do our jobs when we don't know what the job is, or that it could be gone tomorrow. We have no clue as to what trucks will come in and which ones won't. The ones making these decisions don't even know who's qualified to do what on the workroom floor because they are never out there. They are the ones that come up to tou and say, "Well how is it looking?" when you've got 12 trays of manual mail, and one clerk who is capable of working the city scheme and you have an hour to get it done. Duh? How do they think it looks?
This is the stuff I'm talking about. IT'S HAPPENING. It's not even close to being over yet. We haven't even gotten to the end of July yet. HEADS UP PEOPLE. It will only get worse before it gets better. Just as Marsha [Coyle, Editor] mentioned in her last article.....they could care less about the "S" in USPS. Service is not a priority with them. Big bonuses are.
They are already sending out letters to people who may or may not be affected by the excessing. Do not be fooled into thinking that these are places you could be excessed to. These are places they are suggesting you voluntarily transfer to. Which means if you choose to transfer, you lose your seniority and you lose any retreat rights. You also start right back at the bottom as a PTF. It has been suggested that clerks transfer to the carrier craft. Get all the info you have because this may not be to your advantage either. Be sure and call someone you trust to find out the details before making any decision. I see a storm approaching......don't go into it with out a huge raincoat.
He Says....She Says.....The Power of One Vote By Mark & Marsha Coyle (brief excerpt)
How many times have you heard someone say "Mine is only one vote...why should I bother?" A friend of ours found a list on the internet of historical elections in which one vote made the final decision. To help illustrate the huge difference one vote makes, we wanted to start off by sharing some of them with you. Here is a short list:
One vote gave America the English language instead of German.
One vote changed France from a Monarchy into a Republic in 1875.
In 1960, when votes were averaged out, John F Kennedy won by one vote in each precinct. Marsha's thought: Can you imagine what a difference one vote in each precinct could've made in our last Presidential election?
On November 8, 1923, members of a recently formed political party met at a beer hall in Munich, Germany to elect a leader. By a majority of just one vote, they chose an ex-soldier named Adolph Hitler.
England's King Charles I literally lost his head when the vote to behead him was 67 against and 68 for.
The Alaska purchase of 1867 was ratified by just one vote, paving the way for eventual annexation of America's largest state.
He says...Hello Folks how are things your way??? I can't complain, doesn't matter anyway. Hey maybe if I whine enough Marsha might give me some cheese. There's a lot going on behind the scenes and I guess us people on the low end of the totem pole will find out what's what on July 31st. That's the day the final report is due from the President's Commission on the Postal Service. BUT there are a few things that can be done now as we prepare to do battle to save our jobs and more importantly the mail service that this country has enjoyed for over 225 years. One of the most important of all is REGISTER TO VOTE.
She says...I agree with Mark wholeheartedly. PLEASE get registered to vote (if you aren't already). I found out that there are only 2 groups of voters in Oklahoma...those who vote and those who do not vote. Those who vote mostly belong to the upper middle class and wealthy groups. Those who do not vote are mostly working class families and those who are very poor. It is impossible to improve your situation if you do not vote. If you're one of those who do not vote because you think your vote isn't going to make any difference anyway, please go back and reread the opening paragraphs of this story. A vote is a very POWERFUL thing. It can change your whole life and make the world a better place for everybody, but not if you do not vote!! And most importantly, if we survive (as employees of the US Postal Service) until election time, your vote could very well make the difference between hanging onto your job or not. So...no more excuses...get registered and VOTE!
Registration Info thru the AFL-CIO
OTHER APWU NEWSLETTERS ON-LINE
The Bostonian - BOSTON METRO AREA LOCAL 100 (MA)
Echoes - Montgomery Alabama Area Local
Detroit District Area Local (MI)
The Keystone - The Official Publication of the PPWU (PA)
The Philadelphia Postal Worker (PA)
Heatwave - Phoenix Metro Area Local (AZ)
The Conveyor - New Orleans Local (LA)
"DISTANT" VOICES--All Time Classics
A Doctor's View Of The Post Office By Doctor Felix Feelbetter *
(from The 480-481 Communicator, 480-481 Area Local (MI), April 2001)
I'm sick of the Post Office! They keep sending their employees to me to get paperwork filled out. If they don't like the way it's worded, they send the employees back again. They're wasting my valuable time when I'm trying to take care of patients.
Now they have this new policy at the Royal Oak Plant. They're asking some of their employees for doctor's notes every time they miss work. Don't they know that if you have a bad cold, it might be a good idea to rest it and get better, but you don't need to go to a doctor?
So here's what happens.
I have a full schedule of appointments, 15 minutes apart. Even when things
run smoothly I tend to fall a little behind. Then I get a mother rushing
in here with a small child running a fever of 102. And I get an elderly
gentleman coming in by cab with a severe muscle spasm; he can barely turn his
neck. I put aside my scheduled appointments to take care of these
emergencies.
Now I'm running 45 minutes behind. And in walks Melvin Mailsorter with a cold, and he needs a note for work! He says if he doesn't get the note they're going to mark him AWOL and suspend him. I put my other patients aside again, and examine Melvin quickly. Yes, he's sneezing, he's all congested, and it would be a good idea for him to stay home and rest. But he didn't need to see me; he could have bought over the counter cold remedies at any drug store. He's wasting my time, and making the people I really need to see wait even longer. I'm losing patience, and if this keeps up, I'll be losing patients who don't like waiting over an hour when they have an appointment.
So last week when Carol Clerk called and said she needed a note for work, I said I don't have time to see her. So she went to the hospital emergency room. And she waited and waited and waited. They took everyone with a real emergency ahead of her. She was there for four hours before she obtained her note to keep her from being AWOL. All this time, she was sitting among a bunch of sick people, when she should have been home resting. It's insane.
I understand the union suggests the best way to fight this policy is to get a note when requested, then file a grievance asking management to pay for the cost of the doctor's visit (whatever your insurance doesn't cover), plus time-and-a-half for all the time it took you (driving to the doctor's office, the actual examination, waiting for the paperwork, and driving home), plus mileage at the prevailing rate. That way your absence will be covered, you won't be fighting to get an AWOL off your record, and you can go on the offensive with management by grieving to make them pay.
Then there's the light duty issue. Fannie Flatsorter came in a couple of
months ago with a light duty form. I just wrote "do not lift anything
heavy." Anyone with common sense should understand what that means.
But Fannie was back in my office, saying she needed a specific number of pounds.
I wrote "no lifting over 10 pounds." Fannie came back the next day in
tears. She said they wouldn't let her work unless I changed it to 15
pounds. I said okay, the 10 pounds was just an approximation, I'll change
it to 15. Now she's back again, management needs her light duty form
updated! Did they lose the original form or what? Every time I fill
out a form for Fannie, my patients who really are sick have to wait so much
longer.
Then there's the patient with a bad back from all the heavy lifting she does at work. She filed a claim on a CA-2 form and I wrote a brief medical statement in support of her claim. Now the Post Office is challenging, saying she could have hurt herself picking up her two-year-old child or doing other household chores. But her problems only started when she got a new bid on a job that required a lot of heavy lifting. She's been doing the same household chores for years without any problems. So I had to spend half-an-hour writing a detailed medical statement to prove the obvious. And she's still fighting the bureaucracy to get her claim approved.
I don't know what's wrong with the people who run the Post Office. Don't they know my job is to heal the sick? My job isn't filling out paperwork constantly to satisfy some postal bureaucrat.
I have a colleague who has actually stopped seeing patients who work for the Post Office. He's sorry about not treating these patients, but he just doesn't have time for all the paperwork.
I would like to know the name of whatever postal manager keeps sending all these employees back to me for more paperwork. I would refer that manager for a mandatory psychiatric Fitness-for-Duty exam with my colleague, Doctor Thinkstraight. Once we cure whatever mental illness that manager has, I'll be able to go back to healing the sick without the constant parade of postal workers with ridiculous requests for documentation.
* Note: This article was not actually written by a doctor. It was written by the Editor, Paul Felton. But it probably represents the sentiments of a good number of physicians in the metropolitan Detroit area.
(...And everywhere else. M.J.)
The Monmouth P&DC Mini-Mart By Martin Johns
(from The Red Bank Review, Red Bank Local, circa June 2001)
So, a woman is working the register at a local mini-mart. There are two people in line. The first presents a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. The woman rings it up; the person pays her, gets change and leaves.
The second person in line is empty handed. This person approaches the register and demands a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. The woman isn't looking for a fight, so she goes and gets these items, rings them up and says, "That's 5.59."
This person not only refuses to pay, but becomes abusive. "You gave that other person a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. You have to give me a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread! You owe it to me! I'm entitled!"
The woman responds, "I didn't give the other person anything. He paid for it."
The person responds. "The law says you can't discriminate against me just because I don't pay you. You have to give me what you gave him, or I will sue you!"
Amazingly, the court agrees with this person and he now stands at various store counters demanding to be given whatever other people pay for, and threatening a law suit with every other breath. The original mini-mart, by the way, went out of business and the woman at the register is unemployed. Prices for those who pay are way up.
And you wonder why the woman at the register would resent the non-paying customers? As a paying customer, shouldn't you?
The Red Bank Local, APWU, AFL-CIO, is a non-profit organization.